Among the most foundational and powerful prayer commitments is one that can
have more bearing on your life than any other, because it is more personalized: daily mental prayer. There is no saint in heaven that has failed to daily draw near to Jesus with this kind of prayer. Mental prayer is the prayer of saints—but it is not beyond those who desire to become saints. Instead, it is the pathway to our high-calling to become saints. It is the way that Jesus leads us to union with Him and to finding peace, passion, and purpose in life. It will help you in several key ways. First, it provides a simple structure for prayer that some may not yet have in place. Second, it provides daily inspirations that can and will stir the thirsty heart to prayer.

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There are a few secrets that you might want to consider to help you to succeed:

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Sacred Time: It is very powerful and helpful to make a commitment to God regarding the time you will give to Him in prayer each day. Simply determine what time each day and how much time you will give to this prayer commitment. As you can see it is very brief, so ten minutes should be more than enough. The key is to show up at the same time every day so that your body becomes your friend as you build or deepen your habit of prayer. Once you decide the time and the duration, then simply make a firm commitment to the Lord and ask for His help so that you can fulfill your promise.

Sacred Space: It can be very helpful to set aside a special place where you will pray each day. It need not be elaborate or expensive. You can use a candle, your favorite icon, holy card, crucifix or whatever helps you to focus your heart and mind on God. Coupled with your sacred time, this space will provide helpful motivation, rhythm and encouragement to pray, especially when you have those tough days when your motivation might not be as strong.
 

Just Show Up: No matter how you feel, how well you pray, or even whether you are able to stay awake or not! God will honor your presence whenever you simply do your best to draw near to Him. He will never fail to keep His end of the promise and will even make up for your lack of ability to pray. He makes this promise in Romans chapter eight where He reveals that when we come to pray but struggle, He will pray in us! What an amazing gift. So, on the worst days we just need to show up and He will take care of the rest.

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Your Three-Step Guide to Daily Mental Prayer

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Ready

Find a quiet place. Turn off and set aside your phone, computer, everything. Close your eyes, or look at something beautiful from nature or religious art. Remind yourself that God is with you, within you, or right beside you, eager to have this conversation with you. Express your gratitude that He has called you to pray and that He is present with you now.

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Set

THANK God for a blessing that He has given you. It could be a little or a big one, from yesterday or from a long time ago.
ASK God for something that you or someone you care about really needs.
OPEN your heart to hear His Word: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

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Go

READ: Attentively, slowly—word for word—reading the Gospel. Reading out loud can
be very helpful to slow things down. Pay attention to every word.
Key Questions: What does the bible text say in itself ? What did the author intend? What does the Church teach about this subject?
 

REFLECT: Prayerfully engaging with the meaning of the passage and considering how it may apply to your life circumstances.

Key Questions: What does this text say to me? How does it apply to my life? Where is God leading me? What is He revealing to me?
 

RESPOND: Conversing with God about the passage.
Key Questions: What can I say in response to God? Should I offer thanksgiving or praise, or should I ask for His help in any particular way? Should I ask for forgiveness?
 

REST: Allowing yourself to rest and remain absorbed in the words of God, allowing or
inviting the Holy Spirit to draw you more deeply into His presence through what you’ve
read. We should rest when God touches our heart in any way as we read and allow His presence to wash over us until it fades and then we can read the passage again. We repeat this cycle until the movement is completely gone.
Key Questions: Am I being patient, attentive, and open to God’s movement in my soul as I rest in His self-revelation?
 

RESOLVE: Allowing the encounter with God to permeate your day, causing you to draw ever nearer to Him through His self-revelation and invitation to participate with Him in making His presence known in the world.
Key Questions: What can I specifically do to respond to what God has revealed to me in this passage? How can I carry this encounter with me into the day to influence how I think and act? Write down your resolutions and conclude with a prayer of thanksgiving. You can pray using your own closing prayer of thanksgiving or the one included below, but be sure to mean what you say as you pray it slowly and deliberately.

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Remember, this is a conversation with God.

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Excerpt from: Fr. John Bartunek, LC, ThD, 40 Days to Peace and Union with God: A Journey in Prayer Through the Daily Gospels (Daily Mental Prayer Through The Better Part), Lent 2022